[ 40 ] JENNY LAWRENCE church. This was not altogether dictated by her marriage to an Episcopal minister but by her dislike of Mr. Long—undoubtedly a model for Elder Sniffles. Miriam put up with him because her family were pillars of the Presbyterian church in Whitesboro. He was an object of her ridicule nevertheless. He [Long] said yesterday at the dinner table (we had a fine salmon-trout for dinner) that it had long been a subject of serious reflection with him— his mind had long been deeply exercised on the question—as to whether in case man had never fallen from his original state, whether fishes would have devoured each other, as they are said to do. He said he feared there was no means of settling the question, as the Bible is unhappily quite silent on the subject. He asked what was my opinion in the matter. I told him that I rather thought the habits of fishes would have been the same, fall or no fall, for their increase was so enormous that unless they did eat each other up occasionally, the sea would be overflowing with them. This piece of information surprised him greatly. He always thought before that fishes brought forth one little one at a time—iust like anybody. Did you ever see such greenness?35 Since church and state in New York were separate, a congregation was responsible for the support of its clergyman. This voluntary system almost guaranteed that clergy were underpaid, or, to meet with their parishioners' opinions, forced to compromise their religious views to make ends meet. When Aunt Maguire visited Slabtown, she reported a conversation overheard on the very subject. The minister's a good man, and a smart man tew; but the biggest part o' the congregation is such a set of ignoramuses, that they don't know a smart man from a fool. They always make a great fuss over their minister when he first comes; but if he don't preach smooth things tew 'em all the time, they soon contrive to starve him out or quarrel him off. When they gin this one a call, they agreed to give him five hundred dollars a year, and pay it quarterly. And it is a solemn fact, that half on't hanin't ben paid yet. Betsy Hall, a girl that used to wash for 'em sometimes, told me so. She said she'd often listened to the door, and heerd the minister and his wife a talkin over their troubles; and she says that ther ain't morn 'n half a dozen in the congregation that pay their dues reglarly; and if't wa'n't for what the minister's wife gits for writin' for the newspapers, they wouldent be able to pay their house-rent and keep out o' debt, no way.36 35 M. Whitcher to William Whitcher, May 3,1849. 36 Bedott Papers, 320—21.